Best Apparel Brands Companies in North Carolina, United States
The 31 best Apparel Brands companies in North Carolina, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Astral.
Ranked: Best Apparel Brands companies in North Carolina
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Founder | Founded | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Astral Manufacturer of water footwear and life jackets | $750K | 96 mo ago | Seed | Philip Curry Founder & CEO | 2002 | Cart FunctionalityShopifyYouTube+41 | 6 patents Patents concentrated in chemistry & materials | — |
| 2 | Fish Hippie Internet first brand of apparel for men | $400K | 143 mo ago | Seed | Ben Webb Owner | 2010 | Cart FunctionalityShopifyBootstrap+39 | — | — |
| 3 | Peds Internet first brand offering women socks and leg-wear | — | 140 mo ago | Acquired | Richelieu Legwear Founder | 1934 | Shogun Page BuilderBigCommerceShogun Frontend+17 | — | — |
| 4 | Acme-McCrary Corporation Manufacturer of fashion apparel and accessories | — | 199 mo ago | Acquired | Neal Anderson CEO | 1908 | — | — | — |
| 5 | Aksion Apparel Internet first brand offering casual wear for men | — | — | Unfunded | Darius Cobb Owner | 2006 | — | — | — |
| 6 | Calcutta Outdoors Manufacturer of fishing equipment and apparel | — | — | Unfunded | Dave Martin CEO & President | 2013 | Cart FunctionalityShopifyElement UI+20 | — | — |
| 7 | Cato Fashions Internet first brand offering apparel wear for women | — | — | Public | John P Derham Cato CEO | 1946 | Cart FunctionalityAnimate.cssBootstrap+35 | — | — |
| 8 | Cycle West Online retailer of graphic tees featuring moto designs and themes | — | — | Unfunded | — | 2000 | — | — | — |
Top 4 Apparel Brands companies in North Carolina
#1
Seed · Asheville, North Carolina · founded 2002 · 20 employees$750.1Kraised▾
Manufacturer of water footwear and life jackets. The company designs and produces a variety of footwear and life jackets for various water activities, including kayaking, rafting, and stand-up paddleboarding. Product lines cater to men, women, and children, as well as dogs. They offer apparel and accessories to complement their core offerings. The company also features collections focused on specific activities and offers a selection of gear.
- Oct 2018Seed$750.1K
#2
Seed · Mount Airy, North Carolina · founded 2010$400Kraised▾
Internet first brand of apparel for men
#3
Acquired · Hildebran, North Carolina · founded 1934 · 100 employees—raised▾
Operator of a legwear company intended to manufacture legwear products based in Montreal, Canada. The company offers ladies' no-show liners, socks and sheer, leggings, anklets, comfort tights, therapeutic hosiery, mainly under the Peds and MediPeds brands.
#4
Acquired · Asheboro, North Carolina · founded 1908 · 633 employees—raised▾
Manufacturer of fashion apparel and accessories
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Apparel Brands coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
Common questions
Riya reads income statements for fun. She covers the real money in a sector — revenue, growth, who actually earns — and never met a vague claim she didn't want a number for.